Cessna 172S Skyhawk, D-EFUC, 2 August 2012

Cessna 172S Skyhawk, D-EFUC

Summary:

The aircraft had departed Blackpool airport for a photography sortie. About two hours after departure, while cruising at about 1,700 ft amsl, the engine suddenly lost power. Both engine FADEC[1] warning lights illuminated and although the propeller continued to turn, only 5% power was indicated on the engine display. The pilot exercised the power lever but there was no response from the engine. He turned the electric fuel pump on but this did not have any effect either. He selected a field, prepared for a forced landing and made a MAYDAY call on the Blackpool Radar frequency. The pilot made a successful landing into a grass field, but during the ground roll the wheels dug into the soft ground and the aircraft momentarily pitched over onto its nose before settling upright. The pilot shut down the aircraft and he and his passenger vacated normally.

This overview has been truncated. Please refer to the official documents below for the complete canonical report.

73� Crown copyright 2013 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Cessna 172S Skyhawk, D-EFUC No & Type of Engines: 1 Centurion 2.0s (TAE 125-02-114) diesel engine Year of Manufacture: 1998 (Serial No: 172S8003) Date & Time (UTC): 2 August 2012 at 1416 hrs Location: Dunsop Bridge, Lancashire Type of Flight: Aerial Work Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - 1 Injuries: Crew - None Passengers - None Nature of Damage: Damage to propeller, and right wing leading edge dent Commander’s Licence: Commercial Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 40 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 408 hours (of which 80 were on type) Last 90 days - 61 hours Last 28 days - 43 hours Information Source: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot The aircraft had departed Blackpool Airport for a photography sortie. About two hours after departure, while cruising at about 1,700 ft amsl, the engine suddenly lost power. Both engine FADEC 1 warning lights illuminated and although the propeller continued to turn, only 5% power was indicated on the engine display. The pilot exercised the power lever but there was no response from the engine. He turned the electric fuel pump on but this did not have any effect either. He selected a field, prepared for a forced landing and made a MAYDAY call on the Blackpool Radar frequency. The pilot made a Footnote 1 Full Authority Digital Engine Control. successful landing into a grass field, but during the ground roll the wheels dug into the soft ground and the aircraft momentarily pitched over onto its nose before settling upright. The pilot shut down the aircraft and he and his passenger vacated normally. Following the aircraft’s recovery a maintenance organisation attempted to download the recorded FADEC data but this was unsuccessful. At the time of writing no further examination of the engine or FADEC had been carried out. AAIB Bulletin: 1/2013 D-EFUC EW/G2012/08/02

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